Automatic brake-actuating device for railway-trains.



R. BELOFF.

AUTOMATIC BRAKE ACTUATING DEVICE FOR RAILWAY TRAINS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.23. i916.

1,230,098. Patented June 19, 1917.7

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R. BELOFF.

AUTOMATIC BRAKE ACTUATING DEVICE FOR RAILWAY TRAINS. APPLICATION FILED AUG.23. I916r 1,239,098. Patented June 19, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- ammo a RAYMOND BELOFF, 01E CLEVELAND, OHIO.

AUTOMATIC BRAKE-ACTUATING DEVICE FOR RAILWAY-TRAINS;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 19, 1917.

Application filed August 23, 1916. Serial N 0. 116,536.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RAYMOND BELOFF, a citizen of the Kingdom of Russia and subject of the Emperor of Russia, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Brake-Actuating Devices for Railway- Trains, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to braking systems for railway trains, and particularly to means for automatically applying the brakes when the train runs off the track or at a predetermined point along the road.

The general object of my invention is the provision of a very simple, effective and readily operated mechanism which can be applied in connection with the air brake systems now in use or in connection with any air brake system, the mechanism involving the breaking of a magnetic circuit when a train is derailed, the breaking of this circuit permitting the shifting of a valve to a position which will cause a service applica tion of the brakes.

A further object of the invention is the provision in connection with the mechanism above described, of means disposed along the track at any suitable point for operating said circuit breaking means to cause an application of the brakes.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a circuit breaker mounted upon a train, which when shifted from a predetermined position in one direction will cause the breaking of the circuit, this circuit including certain valve holding magnets, the breaking of the circuit denergizing the magnets and permitting the valve to shift to a position to apply the brakes.

()ther objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation in dotted lines of a train of cars with mybrake applying mechanism mounted thereon;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the brake actuating system shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the brake applying valve and its magnet;

Fig. 4: is a side elevation of the circuit breaking mechanism partly in section;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the circuit breaking mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the circuit Fig. 7 is an end view of the circuit break ing mechanism, the actuating rail and track rail being in section. 1

It is to be understood that the brake applying mechanism now to be described may be mounted either upon every car of the train or upon certain cars of the train, it being preferable, however, to mount one of these brake applying devices on'each car of the train, so that in case any one car is derailed the brakes will be automatically applied. I have illustrated my device as applied to a locomotive and two cars, A designating the locomotive and B the cab thereof, and C therails upon which the train ordinarily runs. Moutned within the cab in any suitable manner, or mounted in any other convenient place, though within the cab is preferable, is an electromagnet 10. Extending from the electromagnet are the wires 11, which wires are in a closed circuit with a source of electrical energy on the train, this source, however, not beingshown in Fig. 1. Disposed upon, one of the trucks or otherwise suitably carried by the locomotive or on a car is a yoke 12 as illustrated'in Fig. 4:, which yoke is semi-circular in form and has a guide aperture 13 through which a plunger 1 1 operates. A collar 15 limits the downward movement of this plunger. At its upper end the plunger is reduced, as at 16, and this reduced portion is surrounded for a portion of its length by a sleeve 17 of insulating material such as rubber. Above the insulating sleeve is a metallic sleeve '18, these sleeves being held upon the reduced portion 16 in any suitable manner and in superposed relation.

Attached to any suitable supporting member is a plate 19 having a central aperture 20 and a central hub 21 surrounding the aperture. The wires 11 extend to this hub and pass through apertures therein into contact with the metallic sleeve 18, the wires being held in place by means of set screws 22 or other suitable devices. A spring 23 surrounds the plunger 14 and urges it downward. The lower end of the plunger is formed with a transversely extending head 24:. The collar 15 limits the downward movement ofthe plunger to such a position that the head 24: is disposed slightly above the rail C. l/Vhen in this position the metallic collar 18 will have electrical engagement with the wires 11, these wires being insulated from the plate 19. If, however,

the train should be de-railed, or a wheel should break or any other accident happen which would cause the car to move toward the rail, the transversely extending head 24 will engage with the rail and the plunger will be forced upward carrying the metallic sleeve 18 out of contact with the wires but disposing between the ends of the wires the insulating sleeve 17, thus breaking the circuit through the electromagnet 10. Normally, therefore, the circuit is completed through the electromagnet 10 and this magnet is energized.

Disposed within the cab and in conjunction with the electromagnet 10 is a valve casing 25 closed at one end by an apertured head 26 through which a valve stem 27 passes. This valve stem 27 carries at its outer end the head 28 which forms the armature of the electromagnet 10, The opposite end of the stem is formed to provide a valve 29 which normally engages with a seat 30 formed by the wall of an aperture in the web 31 which intersects the valve casing or chamber. The stem 27 is provided with a collar 32 and surrounding the stem and bearing against this collar is a spring 33 which acts to urge the stem insuch a direction as to raise the valve 29 from its seat 30. When the magnet 10 is energized, however, its magnetism will attract the stem in the direction of the magnet so that'the valve will be seated and cut off communication between the two ends of the valve chamber. In one end of the valve chamber is a port 33 and in the other a port 34. One of these ports may be connected by means of an ordinary pipe to the train pipe of the air brake system or of the car, while the other port may be connected to the outside air, or where the brakes are intended to beapplied by the pressure of air normally con tained Within a compressed air tank, then the port 33 may be connected to the train pipe while the port 34: may be connected to an air reservoir 35: r

The operation of this portion of the invention will be readily understood and it will be seen that if the wheels should'break, a

a truck should break, or if the engine should jump the track, the head 2& of the plunger 14 will engage the rails and be forced upward so as to break the circuit through the electromagnet 10, deenergizing this 'magnet whereupon the springs 33 will immediately open the valve 29 and either vent the train pipe or permit the passage of compressed air to the train pipe, depending upon the particular system of air brakes employed.

Preferably, as stated before, each one of the trains will be equipped with this mechanism sothat if an accident happens to any car the brakes may be applied upon the whole train. I r

It is often desirable to check the speed of trains at some predetermined point along the line, as for instance, just before rounding a curve or reaching a crossing or running over a switch, and this may be readily effected with my device by the provisionof an auxiliary rail or frog, designated 36, which is disposed beside the rail C at the point desired and which extends upward above the normal height of the head 2d from the rail C, the ends of this frog 36 or guard rail are rounded or downwardly beveled as at 37 so that as the train reaches this point the plunger head will ride gradually over the frog. Under these' circumstances the plunger 14: will move upward interposing the insulating sleeve 17 between the wires 11 and breaking the circuit through the electromagnets and applying the brakes for a length of time depending uponthe length of the frog or rail 36.

It will be seen that my mechanisnrmay be applied to cars having an ordinary air brake system and that the guard rails or frogs 36 may be substituted for the-guard rails now in use. Preferably'there will be two of these plungers 1a or circuitbreaking devices disposed on each car or locomotive, one of these adjacent eachend of the car so that the actuation of the brakes willoccur when either end of the car is depressed relative to the rail.

In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown my brake actuating devices as applied to a train consisting of a locomotive and following cars. In the application of the system the valve casing 25 may be mounted upon the locomotive to control the application of the to the rails, as by a breaking of the truck or a breaking of one of the rails or a derailment, the corresponding circuit breaker will break the circuit to the magnets 10 and actuate the brakes. While I have illustrated the magnets 10 as holding the valve 27 in its closed position and a spring as urging the valve to its open position, it will be understood that these parts might be reversed and the spring hold the valve to a closed position and the magnet be used for causing an opening of the valve. In this case a derailment of the train will cause a closing of the circuit through the magnets.

In Fig. 6 I show therail or frog 36 as provided with an opening 38 so that if necessary, the rail or frog 86 may be connected with a hand or automatic switch so that it may be raised or lowered as desired, the rail or frog 36 being in this case slidably or pivotally mounted as is usual with devices of this character heretofore in use.

Having described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In a train the combination with an air brake system, of a valve controlling the application of the brakes, means urging this valve in a position to apply the brakes, electromagnetic means normally holding the valve in a closed position, a vertically movable circuit breaker mounted upon the train and disposed in a position over the rails upon which the train operates, said circuit breaker in its normal position closing the circuit through said electromagnet and the source of energy but when raised by depression of the car relative to the rails breaking said circuit.

2. In a railway car the combination with an air brake system, of a valve controlling the application of the brakes, means urging the valve into position to apply the brakes, electromagnetic means for holding the valve in a closed position, the electromagnetic means being disposed in a normally closed circuit with a source of energy, a circuit breaker carried upon the car and depending therefrom comprising a plunger having a head disposed above the rail upon which the car travels, said plunger in its downward position closing the circuit through the magnetic devices, and a spring normally holding the plunger in a depressed position but yielding to permit the plunger to be raised to its circuit breaking position.

3. The combination wth a car having an air brake system, of a valve chamber mounted upon the car and connected with said air brake system, a valve in said chamber controlling the application of the brakes, a spring urging thevalve to a position to apply the brakes, and an electromagnet normally holding the valve in a position to prevent the application of the brakes, said electromagnet being connected in a normally closed circuit with a source of electricity, and means for normally closing said circuit but adapted to break it comprising a yoke supported upon the car and depending therefrom, a plunger slidable through the yoke, a plate having an aperture through which the plunger passes, contact members supported upon the plate and in circuit with the electromagnet and the source of power, said plunger having at its upper end a sleeve normally closing the circuit between said contact members, and an insulating sleeve adapted when the plunger is raised to break said circuit, a collar limiting the downward movement of the plunger and engaging with the yoke, and a spring urging said plunger downward, said plunger at its lower end being provided with a transversely extending head.

4. The combination with a car including an air brake system, of a valve chamber connected at its opposite ends in said system and having an intermediate apertured septum, a valve operating through said septum and controlling communication between two ends of the casing, said valve having a stem extending through the casing, a spring urging the valve to an open position, an armature oarried on the other end of the valve, an electromagnet coacting with the armature and normally holding the valve closed, said electromagnet being in a normally closed circuit with a source of energy, said circuit including spaced contact mem bers, a member supporting the contact members and attached to the bottom of the car, an apertured yoke, a plunger movable through said yoke and normally having its upper end disposed between the contact members and closing the circuit therethrough, said plunger having an insulating sleeve disposed below the upper end of the plunger so that when the plunger is raised the circuit between the contact members will be broken, a collar limiting the downward movement of the plunger, and a spring urging the plunger downward, the plunger at its lower end having a transversely extending head, the plunger being disposed over a rail upon which the car moves.

5. In a train, the combination with an air brake system, of a valve controlling the application of the brakes normally held in a position to prevent the application of the brakes but movable to a position to permit the application of the brakes, means urging the valve into one of these positions, electromagnetic means which when energized urges the valve to the other of these positions, a circuit closing device mounted upon the train and disposed in a position over the rails on which the train operates, said device in one position closing the circuit through the magnetic means and in another position breaking said circuit, and said circuit clos ing device being adapted to be shifted by a depression of a car relative to the rails.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CEREL SEMARS, ALEXANDER KRAMIs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of ZPatents, Washington, D. C. 

